Scott Nichols’ Speech Nominating Tom Z for GOP Chair

Once again, the ORP is in the news negatively. Once again, we see party leadership scrambling to fix embarrassment.

But, Members of this committee seem more upset at the tone of the leadership struggle than the actual question of judgment and values in the candidates offered. This past fall’s election results speak for themselves.

Today, we will decide the future course of the Ohio Republican Party.

The non-political GOP voter in Ohio has grown cynical. Conservative ones are unmotivated and angry by conservative promises and progressive governance. They are sitting out elections.

The Ohio voters who signed the petitions to protect themselves from Obamacare and voted overwhelmingly (66%) to approve the Ohio Healthcare Freedom Amendment are now fighting their own Governor on this issue.

We need a new direction to win.

We need a person who is connected to the motivated, organized conservative voters who this body owes its gubernatorial, and Issue 3 victories.

Today, I am proud to nominate to this committee an Ohio small businessman and a leader in the grassroots conservative movement.

He has worked in politically hostile territory with great republican success. In 2010 with only 14% of voters being registered republicans in his county, this man rallied conservative voters to get the entire GOP ticket elected there. The first time in decades.

He did not stop there. In 2011, he took this success onward to the state level where he was President of the Ohio Liberty Coalition which comprises 80 different grassroots liberty groups. There he attained the skills necessary, here , public speaking, fund raising, organizing, and handling the media.

We need a Chairman who will motive the current army of conservative volunteers into action for our candidates and our issues.

Today, top down politics meets the grassroots conservative movement for this party. Only by coming together do we win. I tell you there is only one candidate today with the understanding and vision of how to do this.

To win in Ohio we must unite with the grassroots conservatives in this party. We owe are current and future political victories to these groups. Our “tent” must include them or it will collapse.

We must have a Chairman who understands them, is connected to them, and can harness the power of them.

I say we vote for a victorious future. I place the name of Thomas R Zawistowski into nomination for the Chairmanship of the Ohio Republican Party.